"…and of course, she's always going on about her stamp collecting, and Leo seems to like it a lot, but it always feels like it puts me to sleep! No matter how much I try to stay awake, I never seem to get through a conversation with the High Priestess about them. Funny how that happens with such things, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh." Guntz grunted to Lolo as she was braiding his hair into a ponytail.

He was sat in front of a mirror in a chair, his hair shampooed and made nice, and makeup supplies lining the countertop in front of him waiting to be used. In the chair next to him, Klonoa was getting the same from Tat, who was talking shop about some banal gossip or another. In the most unmanly beauty salon known to man.

How did he get himself into such a situation?

…

Three days ago, he was out at a café with Klonoa and Lolo. They'd decided to grab lunch together, as it had been a rather quiet week, and they hadn't done anything as a group in a while. Klonoa had gotten a burger, obviously, Guntz grabbed a rare steak, and Lolo simply went with a salad. A rather light offering compared to her male compatriots, but if she said so…

After eating and waiting for the waiter to return to come back with the cheque, the group got to talking about adventuring, which was more Guntz and Klonoa's forte, but Lolo listened on with interest.

"There was this one guy who was such a blowhard." Guntz waxed lyrically about a recent excursion. "Kept talking about he was the strongest around, and no one could beat him in a fight. Course, I just had to challenge him to one right then and there."

"Naturally." Said Lolo with a shrewd smirk.

"Yeah, and we expected it to be this big, amazing fight. I don't think even Guntz expected to win, he just wanted the thrill of a good bout." Klonoa chimed in, adding to the scenario as he remembered it. "But then he just went down at the start of the fight!"

"Should have seen it coming from how he tried to convince us to back up and "protect our street cred" or something. Looking back, he was scared shitless about actually getting in a fight. And in I come…"

Guntz made a motion of his right hand balled up into a fist, which he hit his left palm with.

"… right in the kisser, and he goes down like a ton of bricks. Not a fighting bone in his body. Seems he'd been coasting on reputation for so long he forgot to actually train for a fight. Everyone was just too intimidated to call his bluff!"

Letting out a laugh to rival his father's, Guntz settled back into his seat with a satisfied smirk.

"Gee, sounds like you could give anyone a run for their money in a fight." Lolo said with a hint of awe.

"Sure can." Guntz grinned. "They don't call me the Golden Killer for nothing!"

"I thought that was because of your guns." Klonoa said.

"Shut up."

Lolo chuckled at the pair's banter. She loved hanging out with them both for this reason, they played off each other really well and it was a pleasure to just sit and watch the fireworks.

"Here, let me prove it." Guntz said as he suddenly placed his arm straight up on the table, his elbow positioned on the surface. "Klonoa, care to arm wrestle?"

"Arm-what?" Klonoa replied, confused."

Guntz groaned. "Just put your elbow flat on the table same as me and lock hands."

Klonoa didn't quite grasp the concept but did as he was told, locking hands with Guntz in the manner specified.

"3… 2… 1… GO!"

Almost immediately, Guntz forced Klonoa's hand down onto the table and pinned it there, winning without the slightest issue.

As Klonoa tried in vain to free his hand, Guntz cackled madly. "Man, you should see the look on your face! Didn't see that coming at all, did you?!" he bellowed before finally letting Klonoa's arm go. "But there you go; I can do just fine against anyone."

Lolo gave a polite clap, before something suddenly came to mind. Something she was surprised to be thinking, but which kind of thrilled her to try and do…

"Guntz, can I have a go?"

Guntz looked over at her, puzzled. "A go at what?"

"Arm wrestling. You and me."

Guntz looked round, before giving a bemused chuckle. "You and me? Come on, Lolo, you'd stand no chance. You're not exactly the fighting type."

Lolo gave him a look, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I can't fight? That I, as a lowly priestess, could never win against someone like you? Or are you simply scared by the possibility that you might lose?"

Indignation rose as he shot a look back at her. "Lose? I don't know what you're talking about. I ain't afraid of losing to anyone."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, then. So how about we go ahead and arm wrestle? If you don't mind going up against a lowly priestess, that is."

If Guntz hadn't had his ego wounded, he might have read between the lines and realised Lolo was up to something. Instead, his indignation only rose higher. "Oh, is that how it's gonna be? Fine. I'll arm wrestle you, but how about we make it a bit more interesting?"

Lolo smiled sweetly. "I'm listening."

Guntz racked his brain for a moment to think of a wager. "If I win, you have to… pay for this meal fully out of your own pocket and clean up my place until I can see my face in the dishes."

Lolo nodded. "Very well. And if I win… you have to join me and Klonoa on a trip to that salon I'm taking him on later this week, and I'll see to it you get a nice makeover same as him."

Guntz grimaced. That was quite a wager. And a blow to his reputation if anyone were to find out. But there was no way he could lose to her, surely…?

"Fine. You're on."

A smirk on her lips, Lolo placed her elbow on the table, Guntz doing the same as they locked hands, Klonoa watching on with bated breath.

"Alright…" Guntz began. "3… 2… 1… GO!"

...

"Tell me Lolo, how the hell did you win that arm wrestling game? You wouldn't say a word in the café."

"Oh, it was quite simple." Lolo said as she applied eyeliner on Guntz. "Leo's been teaching me. She showed me how to use someone's strength against them and maintain my own endurance. She's really quite a good teacher, you know."

"Mhm, yeah, great." Guntz muttered, still in the salon, being made up. "And did you plan this from the beginning, or did you just jump at the chance to humiliate me?"

"Not humiliate you, no." Lolo tutted. "But ever since Klonoa got onto this dress-up fix, I've been wondering what you'd look like with a bit more of a feminine touch. All that masculine clothing you wear, you never let a sparkle into your appearance! It was high time you tried something new."

"You got that right!" Tat squeaked from nearby as she applied mascara to Klonoa's face.

Guntz growled. The sooner this was over, the better.

…

Lolo and Tat waited outside the changing rooms as Guntz and Klonoa got into the new clothes they had picked out for them. There were quite a few sounds of frustration from Guntz's booth as he clearly had difficulty getting it on, but eventually Klonoa appeared, fully kitted out.

Klonoa's outfit absolutely oozed pink and frills, which went with him giving them carte blanche to make him as feminine as they wanted. A big poofy dress with lots of lace and a pink heart brooch, a matching pink version of his beloved hat, and even some pink heels with little bows on them. As for makeup, he'd been given the works, complete with eyeliner, blush, fake eyelashes, and even a little lipstick to go with it. Even his ears were braided like pigtails.

As he rushed over to the nearest mirror and gushed at his appearance, Guntz reluctantly stepped out of his booth, wearing his own outfit. He grimaced as he saw Lolo and Tat's reactions, and he averted his eyes from the mirror, so he didn't have to see himself.

"Come on, Guntz." Lolo said reassuringly as she took his hand. "I think you look really pretty. You should see yourself."

Guntz didn't really want to but knew he probably wouldn't hear the end of it if he didn't, so finally he took a deep breath and looked in the mirror.

He wasn't as garishly dressed as Klonoa, but there was still a tastefully feminine look there. His dress wasn't as flashy as his friend's, but still quite pink, and fit his figure nicely, even letting his neck floof sit freely without clashing at all. His shoes were similar to ballet pumps, and he had been given a pair of silk gloves to wear on his hands. He didn't have as much makeup on, just a little eyeliner and blush to help compliment his outfit. And on his right ear was a pink bow, matching another affixed to his ponytail.

"Well?" Lolo smiled. "What do you think?"

Guntz didn't say a word, just staring in the mirror with a stunned expression. As he did, he took in every detail of his outfit and appearance as a surprising feeling began to grow, one that wasn't negative at all. He never thought he would be thinking something like this, but…

He kind of liked how he looked. He looked cute…